New to ministry, I remember sitting in a seminar room with other pastors’ wives when our speaker asked us to write down one ministry fear. I feared many things…but surprised myself writing, “to be too tired to serve well.” I feared burnout! Though almost two decades later my propensity is still toward burning the candle at both ends, my soul has a greater awareness and longing to find my rest in God’s faithfulness. This is a continual challenge for my husband and me as we serve in rural church-planting ministry – our Achilles heel! I see spiritual similarities from a Google word study I did: An Achilles heel is a weakness in spite of an overall strength which can lead to downfall. Symptoms include pain and limited range of motion. The cure? Rest, support, and flexing exercises for the ankles. Left untreated? Painful rupture of the tendons and inability to move fully. Rest is crucial for our bodies physically just as times of respite are needed for longevity in ministry.

Googling ‘rest’ yielded me pictures of fluffy pillows and someone dreamily laying in the grass with a definition of “rest means to relax into something and let it support you.” Resting in the Lord becomes reality as we let God be our sole support: our Rock, Refuge, and Strength. I love the encouragement God gives to the Israelites (and their honest response), “Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ (Jeremiah 6:16)